Women Safety

Who was TikTok star Sana Yousaf and why was she killed in Pakistan?

Women's panels in India: Who appoints them, and what do they do?

Women's commissions are statutory bodies safeguarding rights, but how are their chairpersons chosen and what legal powers do these panels hold? Here's what you need to know

'Leave women alone': SC voices concern over safety, urges mindset change

The bench said it has seen real-life cases of women being sexually assaulted when they go out in open to defecate themselves

Delhi Police deploys 'Shishtachar' squads to ensure women safety, security

Delhi Police has introduced the 'Shishtachar' squads to curb eve teasing and ensure women safety and security, an official said on Thursday. The official said these district-wise squads are keeping a strict vigil in areas around malls, schools and markets to curb crimes, including eve teasing, molestation and other forms of harassment, against women with the objective of fostering a safer public environment. The 'Shishtachar' squads during patrolling detained people acting suspiciously as a preventive measure and asked women if they had any complaints. In Rohini district, these anti-eve-teasing squads are checking for people who are looking suspicious or are creating hooliganism, making the environment unsafe for women to move freely in public spaces, said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rohini, Vishnu Kumar. The senior police officer said that such people were detained and taken to police stations. If their record was clean, they were dropped back with a warning. The ..

Parl panel proposes inter-ministerial task force for women's tourism safety

A parliamentary panel has recommended establishing an 'Inter-Ministerial Women's Tourism Safety Task Force' to develop comprehensive safety protocols, monitoring mechanisms and emergency response systems specifically designed for women tourists. In its report presented in Parliament on Tuesday, the committee has acknowledged that environmental sustainability must transition from an "auxiliary consideration to a core principle" in tourism development, and to institutionalise this approach, it has recommended developing the 'National Sustainable Tourism Certification System' with clearly defined parameters for ecological impact, resource efficiency, and community engagement. The report -- 'Demands for Grants (2025-26) of Ministry of Tourism' -- is by the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture. In the report, the Committee says that it views with "grave concern" the reduction in allocations and negative recoveries recorded under the 'Safe

On UP model, Delhi Police to launch 'Shishtachar' squads for women's safety

The decision follows a promise made by the BJP before the Delhi assembly elections to introduce "Anti-Romeo Squads" and install CCTV cameras in public spaces as part of their poll manifesto

Delhi police set to launch 'Shistachar' squads to curb eve-teasing

Each district will have a squad of 15 trained personnel, who apart from responding to such crimes, would also work towards prevention and deterrence

Don't act against women for one murder': NCP(SP) leader's bizarre request

Rohini Khadse, president of the women's wing, addressed a letter to the President stating that women seek to eliminate oppressive mentalities, rapist mindsets, and ineffective legal system in India

Bihar to appoint 140 officers for women affected by domestic violence

The Bihar government has decided to appoint 140 full-time 'protection officers' across the state to support women affected by domestic violence more effectively. The Social Welfare Department has decided to create a separate cadre under which sub-division, district and state-level protection officers will be appointed. The decision has been taken in view of the rising number of domestic violence cases in the state. Speaking to PTI, Harjot Kaur Bamhrah, additional chief secretary of the Social Welfare Department and chairman cum MD of Bihar Women and Child Development Corporation, said, "The department has decided to appoint full-time POs to effectively deal with cases of domestic violence." "The process will start soon. A separate cadre will be created for the purpose... More than 140 POs will be appointed across the state. Of them, 101 will be appointed at the sub-division level and 38 at the district level. A state-level PO will also be appointed," she added. The decision has be

Cong MP moves adjournment motion over safety of women passengers in trains

He cited a recent incident where a pregnant woman was allegedly thrown out of the Coimbatore-Tirupati Intercity Express train after resisting an rape attempt

Why did BJP adopt 'save criminals' policy instead of 'save daughters': Cong

As the government's 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' initiative completed 10 years, the Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP of hypocrisy and asked why did the ruling party adopt a policy of 'save the criminals' instead of "save the daughters'. 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' (BBBP) was launched by the prime minister on January 22, 2015 at Panipat, Haryana. BBBP addresses the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of women empowerment over a life-cycle continuum. In a post in Hindi on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Ten years of Beti Bachao, our three questions to Modi ji Why did the BJP adopt the policy of 'save the criminals' instead of 'save the daughters'? When will the women of Manipur get justice? Whether it is the Dalit daughter of Hathras or the daughter of Unnao, or our champion female wrestler, why has the BJP always protected criminals?" Why are 43 crimes against women recorded every hour in the country, Kharge asked. "Every day 22 crimes are registered

RG Kar rape-murder: Sealdah Court finds accused Sanjay Roy guilty

RG Kar rape-murder: Nationwide protests had erupted after a trainee docto was found dead in the hospital's seminar room on August 9

It's everyone's responsibility to keep workplaces women-friendly: NCW chief

National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar on Friday said every place of work, whether government or private, must ensure a safe and secure environment for women and this is the responsibility of everyone. She was speaking at a review meeting held at the Latur collector's office with members and heads of Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) formed under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. Rahatkar said that many women endure harassment at workplaces and hesitate to file complaints. But office heads and the colleagues of women must take proactive steps to instill confidence and create a safe workplace environment, she said. The ICCs must hold quarterly review meetings and ensure fair and timely resolution of complaints, Rahatkar said. "First of all, the places of work must be such that no incidents of sexual harassment take place," she said. Rahatkar also called for public awareness campaigns about th

Anna University sexual assault case: SIT probe and FIR leak spark outrage

The Anna University sexual assault case has sparked protests and a SIT probe, with Madras HC directing Rs 25 lakh compensation for the survivor, while an FIR leak raises privacy concerns

Student sexual assault on Anna University campus sparks row: All we know

The 37-year-old accused had been arrested in 2011 on charges of sexually assaulting another woman on the same campus

SC seeks Centre's reply on plea asking guidelines for safety of women

The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to examine a plea seeking direction for framing pan-India guidelines to provide a safe environment for women, children and transgender persons in society. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice to different ministries of the Centre and its instrumentalities and posted the matter for further hearing in January. Senior advocate Mahalakshmi Pawani, appearing for the petitioner Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association, said several incidents of sexual abuse against women are taking place in smaller cities, which are going unreported and pushed under the carpet. "After the RG Kar Medical College Hospital incident of Kolkata where a trainee doctor was raped and murdered, around 95 incidents of sexual violence have taken place but were not highlighted," Pavani said, adding that like Scandinavian countries, offenders should get punishments such as chemical castration. The bench said it will not entertain many of the prayers mentioned

Rajasthan to launch women-led patrolling units to prevent gendered crimes

Rajasthan Police will launch specialised women-led patrolling units next week to enhance the safety of women and children in public spaces, officials said. The Kalika Patrolling Units will be distinctively identifiable by their blue uniforms with neon monograms, they said. Malini Agrawal, Additional Director General (Civil Rights), said the initiative will begin with 250 teams, each consisting of four female officers. The plan includes expanding the program to 500 teams, with Jaipur receiving 35 units initially, and each District Commissionerate receiving 10 units. The squads will operate under the supervision of senior female officers. Subsequently, 20 units will be deployed in Kota, 12 in Udaipur, 10 in Jodhpur and 10 each in Ajmer and Bhilwara. "The decision to form these patrolling units was driven by frequent complaints of eve-teasing and harassment in public spaces. Female constables and head constables will patrol these areas on scooters," Agrawal said. The teams will use

'Manosphere' intensifies misogynistic threats, language after US election

In the days after the presidential election, Sadie Perez began carrying pepper spray with her around campus. Her mom also ordered her and her sister a self-defence kit that included keychain spikes, a hidden knife key and a personal alarm. It's a response to an emboldened fringe of right-wing manosphere influencers who have seized on Republican Donald Trump's presidential win to justify and amplify misogynistic derision and threats online. Many have appropriated a 1960s abortion rights rallying cry, declaring Your body, my choice at women online and on college campuses. For many women, the words represent a worrying harbinger of what might lie ahead as some men perceive the election results as a rebuke of reproductive rights and women's rights. The fact that I feel like I have to carry around pepper spray like this is sad, said Perez, a 19-year-old political science student in Wisconsin. Women want and deserve to feel safe. Isabelle Frances-Wright, director of technology and societ

Surveillance tech at Corbett park misused to intimidate women, study finds

Cameras and drones originally planted in Corbett National Park for conservation activities, such as monitoring animals, are being deliberately misused by local government officials and men to surveil women without consent, a study has found. The study, published in the journal Environment and Planning F, revealed that forest rangers intentionally flew drones over local women to scare them and prevent them from collecting natural resources, despite their legal entitlement to do so. A total of 270 residents around the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, including women, were interviewed over 14 months by researchers from the University of Cambridge, UK. "We argue that the use of digital technologies for forest governance, such as camera traps and drones, tends to transform these forests into masculinised spaces that extend the patriarchal gaze of society into the forest," the authors wrote in the study. Researcher and lead author Trishant Simlai reported that the women, who had ...

WHO begins 16 Days of Activism against gender based violence ending Dec 10

Experiences of violence lead to long-lasting physical and mental health impacts on the survivors, including injury, unintended pregnancy and pregnancy related complications, WHO's Saima Wazed said